When Destiny Calls
The Journey Begins: Choices
By Cale Kuecker (Ashertye@aol.com)
Summary: The searchers have come across the town of Rimulder, a lovely little village with a dam, a river, and a beautiful meadow of flowers. The baddies are there too, and Captain Evil Hare thinks he may have a plan to clean up in Moo's army.
Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Rancher in any way shape or form. If you try to sue me for using it, you'll get nothing but bus change. Do not use this story without my permission and do not change it for the same. Oh, and since I don't know all the names and attacks of the monsters, I may have to make some up. Please read and review, but be forewarned, any and all rude comments will be misread and warped to whatever my imagination can come up with. Enjoy
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"You have choice, it may not be a good choice, but it is a choice."
-"Dangerous Minds."
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*Choices. That's all life really boils down to. Everything's a choice we have to live with. Good, evil, it's all relative really. That's about the most intelligent lesson I ever picked up from humans, and then they turn around and give their power of choice over to another. Well, I never said I could figure human's out any.*
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The day was bright and shining as the seven searchers walked out of the forest. Genki and Moochi ran races with each other trying up and down the path while Pink Eye and Gray Wolf bickered about inconsequential matters. Joshua was too busy keeping an eye on the children to pay them much mind. Golem trudged along, his eyes darting back and forth between the road and the flowering plants.
*Maybe I'll take another journey after this one and see what other types of flowers there are. Summer seems to be the perfect time for this kind of thing,* Golem thought to himself.
"Hey Golem, you mind not jerking around so much, you're making the trip bumpier than it really has to be," came a voice from the rock giant's shoulder. Hare sat there, his nose in the book their latest friend, Melonzo, had given them. Since the rabbit did have more traveling experience that the others, Joshua had asked him to read the book and try to decipher any clues it gave them as to where the Phoenix could be.
"Sorry Hare. Are you having any luck with that book?"
"Not as much as I'd hoped. This thing covers places I didn't even know existed. But if there's a clue here, I'll find it."
"Hey guys!" Genki called from on top of a hill, Moochi at his side. "You gotta see this."
"Genki, what have I told you about moving so far ahead of the group. It's too easy for you to get bushwhacked by some baddie out to make a name for itself."
"Oh come on Josh, there's not a baddie around that could catch me on these," Genki said, indicating his skates as he noticeably puffed up with pride. Suddenly, the skates moved sending the boy flying backward out of control. "AH!" Genki cried, startled at his sudden movement. The other searchers immediately began to run forward to make sure Genki had not injured himself. What they saw instead was that he had tumbled into a very big field of wildflowers, which acted to cushion the boy's fall. Giggling, Genki got to his feet and motioned for the others to join him. Of course the first to react was Golem, who slowly walked down, almost on tiptoe, so as not to crush the fragile plants.
"Hey do you hear that?" Gray Wolf said, pausing in his descent to listen closely.
"What I don't hear anything," Pink Eye said, a little agitated at being stopped in mid-hop.
"Quiet I hear it too," Hare said, a cupped paw to his ear. It wasn't long before the sound reached everyone else's ears too, the clanging of a bell from the nearby town. Several townspeople carrying farming implements as crude weapons entered the field, angry looks on their faces. Tiger, Hare, Pink Eye, Mocchi, and Genki got into their fighting stances, while the others, unsure as to what was going on, simply got ready for anything.
"If you hoodlums think you can steal our food, you've got another think coming," the lead villager said, brandishing a pickax. The others echoed this sentiment, threatening bodily harm if the searchers came any closer to the village. It was all Gray Wolf could do to keep from tearing would-be warriors apart for blocking him.
"We're not trying to steal your food, we're just passing through!" Genki shouted back, more than a little insulted at being called a thief.
"Oh yeah right, that's just what the followers of Moo would say."
"Wait a minute, we're not with Moo," Joshua said, showing off his neck. "See no medallion. And there aren't any medallions on the rest of my group."
"Hold on there, let me up front. Come on, move it ya big galoot," came a voice from inside the mob as an old man made his way to the front. The searchers all had to struggle to keep from bursting into laughter at the sight of the old man, and even then a few giggles escaped Genki and Mocchi's lips. The old man was incredibly thin and withered, his arms and legs strongly resembling dried sticks. He was completely bald and the top of his head was shiny enough to bounce sunlight off of. In his hand rested a walking stick with a thick club at it's top, probably very suitable for knocking sense into others. A thick beard and mustache of white hair obscured the bottom half of his face while dark sunglasses and bushy white eyebrows hid the top. The color scheme of his clothes didn't simply clash but instead made all out war with itself. His silk shirt alone seemed comprised of more colors than the meadow, and Genki would have almost sworn the whole thing had come from his world. The old man looked at the group, eyeing them carefully before turning back to the villagers. "You ninnies! Do these look like followers of Moo to you!?!"
"Sorry elder, but you said to be wary of a group of monsters..."
"Exactly! Monsters, no humans, and they'd be wearing those accursed medals on their chests!" So saying, the old man turned to the rebels. "I apologize on behalf of my friends. Since Moo has been active, we've been seeing a lot of nasty monsters running around. Why just last week a merchant's wagon was attacked by a group of arrow heads and a purple suezo. When Michael here saw you, he probably assumed you to be attacking the village."
"Well, no harm, no foul I say," Joshua said, extending his hand to the elder, which was accepted. "One cannot be too careful in these times."
"Yes, but it should not come at the expense of meeting new people. And I insist we make it up to you for the scare," the old man said, motioning for them to follow him.
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"Well well well," Captain Evil Hare said, watching the meadow through his binoculars. Behind him, laying on their furry bellies to keep from being spotted, were eleven other evil hares, all wearing medallions with Moo's insignia on them. "It would seem the rebels have found some friends."
"So what's the plan Captain?" A particularly large evil hare asked, not even bothering to keep his voice down.
"Quiet. We may be hidden, but I'd wager that gray wolf would hear us if you kept bellowing like that."
"Sorry sir," the evil hare said.
"Don't let it happen again. Now, as for a plan, that dam should do nicely."
"Sir?"
"Destroy the dam and release the water. We'll drown the rebels in the raging river."
"And the village?"
"Regrettable, but necessary. We'll grab the stone from the wreckage, as well as any lost disks. Master Moo might be able to use some of them." So saying, Captain Evil Hare raised his hand, motioning for his warriors to move out.
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*Let's get one thing straight, I have no real love for humans, but I also don't really hate them. I probably wouldn't help a human, but then again I don't go out of my way to harm them either. That's probably one of the big reasons I haven't made it very far in Moo's army. Oh well, I refuse to be something I'm not simply to get ahead in life.
I guess the only real problem I have with humans is that they always seem to hate my kind. Now that doesn't make sense. They say humans created monsters. How can you hate something you created? Well it doesn't matter, I'm a fighter, not a philosopher. That's the life I've chosen and I refuse to feel sorry for it.*
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The tiny village of Rimulder was as nice up close as it appeared from afar, aside from the fact that many of it's citizens giving the newcomers suspicious glances.
"Can't you just feel the love in the air," Gray Wolf commented, keeping a watchful eye out in case anyone tried anything funny.
"Will you give it a rest. It was just a misunderstanding when they attacked us. They thought we were baddies," Genki said.
"You have to expect the worst, kid, otherwise the world will flatten you."
"That's a very cynical view, my friend," the elder said, overhearing Gray Wolf's comment.
"I'm a very cynical wolf."
"That must be lonely then," the old man said. The he turned to a wood and brick building. "Ah, this is the grocer's. You should be able to stock up on supplies here. If you're low on funds, don't worry, Tom's been known to make trades for any interesting knickknacks you might have." The searchers looked inside to find a blue hare in an apron sitting behind the counter. The azure rabbit looked up an smiled politely at them.
"So you're the newbies causing so much ruckus outside today," the hare/tiger hybrid said.
"Yes, I suppose we are," Joshua said. The big man was softly nudged aside as Hare squeezed past him and into the store. The brown bunny began to inspect the shop, taking notice of all the wares in the place.
"I gotta say this is a nice place, Tom is it? You're boss certainly must run a tight ship," Hare said.
"Why yes I do. And if you think you can get a lower price for my goods by buttering me up, you'll have better luck with some toast," Tom said. Hare seemed almost at a loss for words as he took in this information.
"You mean you own this whole shop?" he asked.
"Well, not yet. I had to take out a few loans to get this place running, but once I pay off that, I will own the whole place."
"Very nice. Well, I guess I'll help you get just a little bit closer to your goal then." So saying, Hare grabbed a handful of candy and paid with a gold coin. The hare handed some of the candy to Mocchi and Genki, but before they could eat it, they heard a commotion outside.
"Master Torten! Master Torten!" yelled a boy as he came running up a street. The old man walked out of the shop to meet the boy.
"Billy what is it?"
"The look out... sent me to find you...," the boy panted, out of breath. "Strange monsters... at the dam... attacking."
"Oh no, if they destroy the dam Rimulder will be washed away," Torten said. "Billy, get the militia together, we need to stop them."
"That'll take too long, those monsters'll have your dam destroyed before you can get up there," Joshua said.
"Leave it to us, we'll stop them," Genki stated, skating off, Gray Wolf and Mocchi hot on his heels with the rest only a little ways behind.
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*I hate fighting.
That sounds strange coming from someone like me doesn't it, but it's true. The problem is all my life fighting is the only thing I've ever known. My mother used to tell me that before the creation of monsters, human's used to keep normal animals as pets. Sometimes they even used them in fights. And then the animal seemed to be totally unable to live a peaceful life.
I think that's what happened to me. I'd love to prove myself wrong, but try telling that to a commander who always wants to go to war. In a world as harsh as this, only the fighters have any success. At least that's what I've been led to believe. And I am pretty good at it.*
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Meanwhile, at the dam, the evil hare unit was busy adding more stress to an already stressed construct. The plan was simple; cause enough damage to the dam to cause it to begin to give then get out of the way and let nature take it's course. Already the wood was beginning to crack and give way, and little streams of water were bursting through.
Six evil hares currently were punching the dam when Genki, Mocchi and Gray Wolf arrived on the scene, calling for them to stop. Gray Wolf didn't even give them a chance to stop, zapping the two closest with a lightening bolt. Both ebony rabbits jumped aside, their fur standing on end from the electric attack. They leapt forward ready to trash the wolf as two fresh evil hares took their place at the dam. From on top three more evil hares dropped down, attacking Genki and Mocchi. Two used a charging bunch only to be feel their lower jaws connect with Genki's wheeled foot and Mocchi's hard head. The third evil hare was more successful, going between the two youngsters in order to hit them both from behind with his elbows, sending both flying.
Gray Wolf jumped into the air, followed closely by the two evil hares.
"LIGHT..."
"NIGHT LIGHT!" the two rabbits called in unison, as they're red eyes began to glow bright enough to blind Gray Wolf. Unable to aim his attack, or even see his opponents, Gray Wolf became easy prey as the evil hares grabbed his front legs, throwing him back to the ground. The lupine was only barely able to right himself before hitting the ground, and the temporary blindness subsided in time for him to see his two assailants diving at him, their fists extended to hit him. Gray Wolf was ready, roaring his mightiest roar as they came close, sending both flying again into the dam.
"Not so tough when you can't do a sneak attack are you," Gray Wolf snorted.
Genki and Mocchi had righted themselves and were busy fighting off their own evil hares, which now numbered four. Suddenly, a great stone hand came down between the two groups as a brown form ran along it's length, punching the evil hares and knocking each to the ground.
"Banzai!" Pink Eye yelled as he appeared above another black bunny, flattening the unfortunate warrior as he fell. Joshua yanked two more evil hares away from the dam as Gray Wolf tackled the last one.
"We can't let them destroy the dam," Joshua said. Blocking the evil hares from returning to their deadly work.
"Don't worry, they're not gettin' by me," Gray Wolf called, firing a lightning bolt at one that attempted to sneak by.
"Me neither," Genki said, echoed by Mocchi. Hare stood to the left of the boy, glaring at the assembled baddies as if daring them to try something. And behind them all stood their last line of defense; Golem, who was spreading himself out to catch any baddies that came by.
"As if you losers could stop us," yelled Captain Evil Hare as the helmeted hare dropped down in front of Gray Wolf. A weak spin kick to the face was all it took to get Gray Wolf angry. The silver lupine lunged for his assailant, which the captain easily dodged. The wolf took another angry swipe, only to hit thin air.
"That's it... SONIC MOVE!" Gray wolf called as he disappeared, only to find himself on the receiving end of a very quick spin kick that sent him flying back to Golem. Captain Evil Hare used the wolf as a stepping stone, jumping up onto the rock monster. Gray Wolf was quick to recover however, and gave chase, disrupting any chance of Golem swatting the ebony hare without hitting Gray Wolf. The evil hare jumped off of Golem's head, landing in front of the dam with Gray Wolf hot on his heels.
"Gray Wolf stop him!" Yelled Joshua.
"Just watch me... LIGHTNING!!"
"NO NOT THAT!" Joshua screamed, as the silver energy left the wolf's horns.
"Too late," Captain Evil Hare said as he dodged, letting the lightning strike the dam. The wood blackened under the energy assault, becoming very weak as it did so. "Evil Hare's disappear!" Captain Evil Hare commanded as he used a charging punch to slam into the weakened wood. Huge cracks now freely spread over the structure as the dam began to give way and all the evil hares disappeared. Golem was the first to react, rushing forward to use his great strength to prop up the collapsing structure, followed closely by Joshua, Genki, and Mocchi.
"Gray Wolf, use your arctic blast to freeze the water," Hare commanded.
"I'd never be able to freeze the whole river."
"Then do just the dam, that should buy us some time for a more permanent solution."
"Everyone back away," Gray Wolf commanded. As soon as they were gone, Gray Wolf summoned his most powerful freezing technique, and the familiar blue and white beam shot forth from his mouth, completely freezing the crumbling dam. The sound of the disturbed water slamming into the wall of ice was thunderous.
"That should hold it, but we're not out of the woods yet," Genki said, backing away from the frozen dam. Golem held fast, unwilling to rely solely on the ice to keep the water back.
"What happened?" Torten called as he and a group of villagers came running up the path.
"The evil hares were able to bust open the dam," Genki said.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault for falling for that black rabbit's trick..."
"Blame can come later, right now we have to fix that dam, the ice is melting rapidly." The old man turned towards his assembled group. "Well, what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Get moving." On command the villagers went to work, trying their best to fix the broken dam. It didn't matter what they did though, because it was still patchwork and water continued to leak out, weakening the entire project. Gray Wolf had resorted to using his weaker blizzard attacks to create temporary stops while the rest of the searchers pitched in as best they could to patch up the dam. Golem stood fast, quite possibly the only reason the dam had not collapsed already.
"This isn't working," Hare said, stopping as he surveyed the situation further.
"That is becoming painfully obvious my friend. But unless you have some other way to stop this river, keep working." Torten answered.
"I just might. There's a fork in the river bed, all we have to do is block off the side leading to Rimulder. What we need is another dam."
"It took us a week to build this one, there's no way we can hold back the river that long."
"Ah, but you're forgetting Gray Wolf's speed and Golem's strength, not to mention Pink Eye's teleport attack. If we pool those talents we can have a good enough dam built pretty quickly."
"Okay rabbit, but remember, we can only hold the water back so long."
"Guys, come on, we gotta plan," Hare called, racing off to the forest, the other searchers close behind.
It did not take long for the searchers, sans Golem and Genki, to make it to the forest. The boy and rock giant had been left at the fork in the river, waiting for their parts in Hare's plan. Gray Wolf leapt at the trees, firing torpedoes which crashed through the trunks easily. The giant plants fell down as Hare and Mocchi quickly stripped the branches from them. Joshua drug the felled trees into a stack as quickly as he could. Once a sufficient pile had been accumulated, Pink Eye touched the wood, teleporting himself and the trees to where Golem stood. Golem went straight to work, standing up the logs to form a crude dam while Genki filled in any gaps with clay and sand. In less than an hour and a half, three walls of wood and clay stood ready to try to repel the watery onslaught that was to come. As a precaution, the townspeople had begun to move to higher ground, moving whatever they could out of the river's potential path. The workers at the old dam could hold the construct together no longer, running to safety as the water came rushing forward. Everybody made it to the hill the village's population made it to, fingers and toes crossed as the water slammed into the ramshackle dam, creating a very audible creaking sound as it did so.
"Is it holding?"
"It looks like it."
"Mommy I'm scared!"
"Don't worry baby, Torten won't let us down."
"Pink Eye, what do you see?" Joshua asked. The pink suezo took a moment to focus his eye as he stared at the dam.
"It's holding... but not by much. Oh kuso, one of the logs is loose. The water is coming through."
"No, our town will be washed away."
"Now don't panic everyone, there must be something we can do," Torten said.
"There's no time. We have to get out of here before the river overtakes this hill," Gray Wolf yelled, ready to grab as many of the villagers as he could to get them to safety. Suddenly, Joshua noticed someone was missing.
"Genki... Where are you kid?!" the big man yelled. A quick search revealed Genki to be at the foot of the new dam, desperately trying to keep the dam in one piece. "Genki, get back up here! We have to get out of here right now!"
"I'm not leaving! We can't just abandon these people," Genki said as he struggled to push the log back in place. It seemed an exercise in futility though, as the thirteen year old was not strong enough to fight the raging current. That was when the log began to slowly move back into place as Golem added his own strength to Genki's efforts. The small hands of a little girl began shoving clay and dirt back into the little holes to seal up the dam again. One by one more people joined the trio, all working to bolster the dam as the river gradually became weaker. Finally, it's new course finally set, the dam was finally able hold the river back without help.
"I... I think we did it," a dirty Gray Wolf said.
"We did, didn't we," an equally filthy Hare replied.
"We saved the town, we save the town," Mocchi sang out, swinging around with the little girl. That was all it took for the rest of the crowd to break out in applause, cheering their success. After a few minutes of this, Torten raised his hands, signaling for quiet.
"All right, all right people. We have a right to be pleased with ourselves, but our job isn't finished yet. That dam may be holding back the river for now, but it's only a temporary patch. We need to reinforce it if we expect it to last. Now hop to." Then the elder turned to the seven searchers. "As for you seven, I can't thank you enough. If not for your help, Rimulder would have been destroyed. The least I can do is offer you a place to stay at my house for the night."
"Thank you Mr. Torten, but we really can't accept..."
"Nonsense, I insist. And I'll take it as a very personal insult if you don't accept," Torten countered. That was all it took.
"Well then, I can't refuse such a heartfelt offer," Joshua said, extending his hand to Torten, who shook it.
"Excellent. The construction crew can take it from here, so why don't you follow me and I'll show you where you'll be staying."
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"Damn!" Captain Evil Hare said as he watched the events unfold through his binoculars.
"What's wrong Cap?"
"Those searchers were able to stop the river with a new dam. How can a single group be this difficult to eradicate?"
"We could... try to destroy the dam again," another evil hare said.
"Campion you know better than to suggest doing the same trick twice. I'm not about to try a failed plan on enemies who are prepared for an attack."
"It's not like we have to destroy the rebels."
"What did you say Elador?"
"Well, pardon my impertinence, but Moo's orders didn't say to kill the rebels, we just have to get that stone of theirs. Maybe we should focus on that."
"Hmm, you just gave me an idea kid," Captain Evil Hare said, motioning for everyone's attention. "Gather round, we have work to do."
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In only a little more than an hour, Torten had shown the searchers his home, thanking them again for the help they'd given. Gray Wolf winced a little at the show of gratitude, unsure if he was deserving of such praise.
*If not for my temper, Captain Evil Hare wouldn't have made it to the dam. Why'd I have to let him get my goat?* Gray Wolf thought later, as he rested in the searchers' empty room. The other six had opted to see more of the village after dinner, an activity the tiger hybrid didn't feel up to at the moment.
"My but you look lost in thought," came a voice that woke Gray Wolf from his thoughts. Torten stood in the doorway, a tray of leftovers from dinner in his hands. "I thought you might be hungry. I noticed you didn't eat much at dinner, kinda like ya had something on your mind."
"None of your business old man," Gray Wolf said, turning his head so he didn't have to look at his host.
"Ah, so I was right. You're thinking about what you did at the dam." At these words Gray Wolf looked back at Torten, surprised and a little confused at the old man's revelation.
"How did you..."
"Minds are like books, they're easy to read if you know how. And, despite how much you try to make it appear otherwise, it's easy to see when your troubled. I imagine you feel the dam breaking was in some way your fault."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Gray Wolf said, becoming defensive.
"Then why did you try to apologize back at the bridge?" Torten said, placing the tray down in front of the silver-furred wolf. "You may try to hide it behind the facade of a bandit, but you have the soul of nobility. I somehow doubt you travel with your companions simply seeking revenge. And I also doubt you were simply going with the group when you helped us."
"If you ask me, you're not as good at this reading thing as you claim."
"Then explain the two cabalos pups that were with your pack."
"How do you know about them?"
"I didn't... not for sure anyway. But I have heard of the Wild Pack, which supposedly included twin hare hounds, a female rock hound, a daton, a datonare, a mangled jagd hound, and TWO baby cabalos pups. Tell me, what need would a fearsome band of rogues need of not one, not two, but three members who were unable to fight?"
"They... they... they..."
"They needed you, didn't they? The same reason you joined with the rebels and helped save our village. Someone needed your help, and you felt obligated to give it. And when that evil hare used you to destroy the dam, it was like you failed wasn't it." Gray Wolf did not have an answer to give the village elder. "I think you should know we thank you for your efforts. If not for that ice blast of yours, we never would have had the chance to save Rimulder." So saying, Torten left Gray Wolf to his thoughts once more.
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Genki, Pink Eye, and Mocchi walked through the town, watching as the town swiftly got back to normal after it's near destruction. Fewer people were out during the evening hours, but the streets still remained a hot bed of activity. Many of the people notice the short procession and waved, thanking the three for their part in saving their town.
"Well, I gotta say, towns are a lot nicer when they're not in immanent peril," Pink Eye said as they passed a couple of human's walking down the street.
"I'd like to know how those baddies keep finding us. I mean, if we keep leaving them dead, how are they reporting to Moo?"
"There's a rumor that one of the monsters in Moo's army has the ability speak with dead monsters," Pink Eye said. "I'm not really sure about that though. I mean, I've never even heard of a power like that."
"Yeah well..." Genki began before feeling a small tug on his shirt. The boy turned around to find his shirt in the grasp of the little girl who'd tried to help him keep the new dam up. She was dressed in the same pink dress as before, and her blonde hair was now dry and full of bouncy curls.
"Thank you for saving our town," she said in a sweet and innocent voice.
"Well, thank you for your help. We probably wouldn't have been able to hold up the dam if not for you Miss...?"
"My name's Rebecca," the girl smiled. That was when her mother called for her, prompting for her to return.
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Back at the grocer, Hare was busy haggling for supplies with Tom the blue hare.
"I don't care what you say, this food cannot be worth more than twenty silvers," Hare said, trying his hardest to drive a miser's bargain.
"What you don't seem to understand is that the food you've selected doesn't come from Rimulder. It costs me money to import such things and eighty silvers is a good price," Tom countered, trying equally hard at price gouging.
"Don't lie to me, I saw a carrot patch on my way into this town, how can they be imported. Twenty-five silvers is more than enough to cover any other expenses."
"I'll give ya the carrots, but the rice is not from here. Neither is the beef. Most of the meat-eaters around here hunt deer and wild boar. In light of that fact, I can hardly charge less than seventy-five."
"Look, I like you, and I respect what you've done with this place. That's why I've come this far with you. Let's be serious, though, imported only means the food is aged and we all know age decreases travel time. But like I said, I like you, so I'm willing go as high as thirty-seven silver."
"Flattery will get you nowhere long ears. The beef has been smoked and salted to preserve it, so there's no need to worry about it spoiling. And we all know rice doesn't spoil, still I'd be willing to let you have it for, say, sixty-three silvers."
"You know, I heard you're also interested in foreign knickknacks," Hare said, showing off a small object in his hand. It was a statue of a hare cut from quartz crystal and almost seemed to come alive when the lights hit it. "This little knickknack should be good enough to stimulate your curios curiosity. It's the third to last one the artist ever made, a beautiful work if I do say so myself. He gave it and another one to me in exchange for a favor I did him. It comes all the way from the western continent and is easily help bring the price down to, say, forty-five silvers?" Tom gently lifted the figurine from Hare's outstretched paw, looking at it closely as he turned it around.
"When you're right you're right. This is an exquisite piece of work. I don't get many things from the western continent now that Moo has it. But I'm afraid even with that tab I can only knock the price down to... fifty-five silvers."
"Make it fifty. After all, we are heroes to this town."
"Well... Since you did save the town... All right, but you try to pull this trick again, I'll kick you out on your furry butt."
"Hey, I'm working on a limited budget, you gotta expect me to pull every trick in the book. I'll be by tomorrow with the money to pick up the supplies." Hare said, leaving the monster grocer to examine his new treasure more closely.
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*How often do you find yourself doing things that are distasteful? I keep finding myself in all sorts of situations that call for such things. I've lost count of the number of missions that have required me to destroy sometimes whole villages, and that simple fact disgusts me no end. I don't have a problem with killing, those are the fortunes of war. But when killing becomes so commonplace that you don't even see it as something to remember, that's when you should retire.
People say killing never gets any easier, that it's always a hard thing to do. People are idiots. Killing can become almost a second nature if you're not careful. Sometimes at night, I find myself dwelling on that, trying my hardest to remember a time when I didn't have blood on my hands, but with no luck.
I guess that's why human's are a bit wary around monsters, the ease with which we can take a life scares them. I've heard all sorts of stories of all sorts of monsters going on killing sprees in human villages. But then I've heard the same thing about humans killing monsters, sometimes even hunting them for sport. It's a cruel world, and, heaven help me, it's creatures like me that make it so...*
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The searchers left from Rimulder only a few scant hours after dawn, with only the village elder Torten for a send off. Joshua hefted his heavy backpack into the air as he and his friends prepared to take off.
"Well, I guess this is so long," Torten said, shaking Joshua's hand. "Thank you for your help in saving our town. I hope you are able to find what you're looking for."
"According to the stone, we'll be following the river a part of the ways. Is there anything you can tell us about the area?"
"Not much to tell really, nothing overly interesting to or do."
"Well, hopefully we'll have a peaceful journey for a while. Good- bye." So saying, the searchers left.
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"The searchers have left sir and our reinforcements have arrived," Elador said to his commander, indicating the twenty additional evil hares that now stood at attention.
"Excellent. Put our plan in motion. Send up a signal fire when you succeed. I'll run intercept with the rebels."
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The group of seven had traveled only an hour, and had managed to put a great deal of distance between themselves and Rimulder.
"Well, well, well, look what the Kato dragged in," came a voice only a few feet ahead. Sitting on a rock by the river was none other than Captain Evil Hare, looking as smug as he could possibly be. Gray Wolf's hackles rose as he growled at the helmeted hare as the other searchers dropped into defensive stances, ready to fend off any ambush that might have been set up.
"You have a lot of guts, being out here alone, baddie," Gray Wolf growled.
"I suppose the nose knows. But I actually didn't come all this way to fight you. I want the magic stone I know you possess."
"And what makes you think we'll give it to you?" Genki said. At this, Captain Evil Hare simple pointed behind them in Rimulder's direction, where a column of smoke rose in the air.
"That signal there tells me that my evil hares have taken over that village you losers were just in. So you have a choice; surrender the stone to me before noon... or continue your quest knowing that you've let an entire village die."
"And what if we decide to grab you and force your troops to get out of the village," Gray Wolf threatened.
"Nice try, but my troops have orders to start killing if I don't return. I'll be waiting for your reply back at the village. Sayonara." With that, Captain Evil Hare dove into the swiftly moving river and was swept away towards the village.
"Damn!!" Gray Wolf yelled, as the rebels began to race back.
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An hour and a half later found a waterlogged Captain Evil Hare pulling himself up out of the river and into the arms of two of his subordinates. The entire population of Rimulder had been herded into the village square. The monsters were chained and bound together to prevent them from using their attacks. Twenty-seven evil hares stood guarding the prisoners, with looks on their faces ranging from cold indifference to burning hatred.
"These are all of them?"
"Yes captain. It was a little difficult to get some of them but it was nothing we couldn't handle."
"Excellent."
"I demand you release us this instant," yelled Torten from the crowd, getting up only to immediately be accosted by Campion.
"Who are you to demand anything, wretch."
"Campion, bring that man to me," Captain Evil Hare ordered. Roughly the large evil hare yanked the old man to his leader, almost throwing the human to the evil hare's feet. "I didn't tell you to rough him up fool. We're not barbarians." The black rabbit helped the village elder to his feet.
"I don't need your help," Torten said in a flat tone. "I demand you release us. We have done no wrong to you, your attack is totally unwarranted."
"Not so fast. You recently gave shelter to a group of rebels who stand against Master Moo. I'd say that justifies any action we take. But set your mind at ease, old one, as long as those rebels comply with our demands, no harm will befall you."
"Yeah," Campion continued, "So you pathetic humans better just shut up and be grateful we don't... AHHH!" The evil hare was interrupted as a small foot smashed into his own. He grabbed his foot and hopped around howling in pain as his assailant, Rebecca, scowled at him.
"You leave us alone you big bully!" She shouted.
"Why you little worm, I'll make you pay for what you did to my foot!!" Campion shouted as he pulled back a fist, ready to send the girl into orbit. Suddenly, another fist connected with Campion's jaw, knocking him to the ground.
"CAMPION! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY MY ORDERS!" Came Captain Evil Hare's angry yell. "Keep that temper of yours in check, rabbit, the last thing I need is for you to screw this up."
"My thoughts exactly," came a hard voice from behind. The baddie captain turned around to find Gray Wolf, Hare, Golem, and Joshua standing at the entrance to the village.
"Ah, so you're here. As you can see we've kept our end of the bargain. I hope, for their sakes, you kept yours."
"We did," Joshua said, holding up the magic stone for all to see.
"Excellent. But tell me, where have your friends gone?"
"They disagreed with my decision and refused to come along. They're waiting for us back at the river," Joshua explained. "You do realize that even without the magic stone, we'll still find the Phoenix and destroy Moo."
"Sure you will, and with any luck you'll also find El Dorado." As this talk went on, Pink Eye, Mocchi, and Genki quietly teleported into the crowd of captives. Once there, they began to quickly undo the restraints on the villagers. Joshua and the others made sure to keep the evil hare's attention on them, buying the trio as much time as they could. Suddenly, there was a scream as everyone's attention turned to Elador. The evil hare was desperately clutching his bloody chest. An arrow ran through his body, piercing his heart like a razor. The rabbit's body took on a familiar glow as it warped and lost it's shape, becoming a disk held up by a small root.
"Elador!" Captain Evil Hare turned around to find the other three searchers in the act of freeing the hostages. "Treachery... Evil Hares... DESTROY THEM ALL." Captain Evil Hare leapt for the magic stone as Joshua yanked it away.
"The jigs up guys, get those ropes undone now," Gray Wolf yelled, tackling Captain Evil Hare as Golem immediately moved to block four other evil hares from attacking his friends. Joshua's fist slammed into another evil hare as did Pink Eye's tongue. The battle continued with six of the searchers trying their hardest to protect the villagers. Gray Wolf's fired his torpedoes in rapid succession, striking as many of the dark rabbits as he could, only to find more taking their place. Mocchi continually bounced off opponents, finally landing on Golem's shoulder as the rock giant swung his great arm, sending the hapless hares flying. As for the captain, he had his hands full simply blocking the flurry of fists coming from Hare.
"I must say, you are an excellent fighter. I haven't had this much fun in ages. If you hadn't proven to be so treacherous, I'd offer you a spot in my unit," Captain Evil Hare said as he blocked a punch to his face before countering with a kick to Hare's gut.
"Like I woulda taken it. You oughta give up now, baddie, with the villagers and their monsters freed, you don't have enough warriors to fight us," Hare retorted, sweeping the evil hare's legs.
"Ha, if you think these are all the evil hares I have, you're a fool. I'm outta here, but I'll be back soon." With that, Captain Evil Hare grabbed a hand full of dirt, throwing it into his opponent's eyes before taking off. Hare quickly wiped off his face just in time to catch see the captain leave.
"Gray Wolf we need to stop him!" Hare yelled.
"I'm kinda busy here," Gray Wolf yelled back, as he threw off the four baddies who had been trying to pin him.
"Pink Eye?"
"Not a chance," the suezo type said as his tongue slammed into an evil hare nearby Genki was having problems of his own in freeing the villagers. "Looks like you're gonna have to do it yourself, Hare."
"Be careful, for all we know this is just another trap," Joshua warned.
"Don't worry, I can handle it," Hare said as he took off in pursuit, unaware of Campion's watchful eye.
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*The first rule of making a plan is to always have a back up. That's the first rule any good leader learns. The second is adaptability. No plan is ever so good that it remains effective after a battle begins. A good commander is able to change a plan as needed. Of course, there's always the problem of the unexpected, which can kill even the best warrior.*
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Captain Evil Hare smiled as he ran, looking over his shoulder to see Hare giving chase.
*I was hoping for the kid, but that hare should so just as well,* the captain thought. *There's the cliff where the others should be, now we'll see how good plan B is.* The captain arrived to find no one present.
"Where is everyone?" Captain Evil Hare asked no one in particular. "I ordered those furballs to stay here as an ambush."
"What's a matter, the big bad baddie not prepared to fight alone?" Hare called as he caught up. The captain ignored his opponent, instead searching all the available hiding places for his warriors. All he found though were nine lost disks.
"What happened here?!? WHO KILLED MY EVIL HARES!?!?!?!" Captain Evil Hare screamed in a rage.
"I think I may be able to answer that question." Both hares turned around to find Campion right behind them, or rather, now in front of Hare. The purebreed grunted as Campion's knee dug into his gut, doubling him over and setting him up perfectly for a wicked uppercut that turned out the rabbit's lights.
"Campion, what are you doing here?"
"Completing my mission," the black rabbit stated. A black aura began to emerge on the evil hare as his form began to contort slightly. He grew larger and the gray in his ears was replaced by red. Copper markings began to appear all over his body, and his buck teeth separated into fangs. Finally, his red eyes changed color, the brilliant red fading into an eerily cold blue. "I am not Campion, my name is Strife. That fool has been dead for days, thanks to my brethren. We needed him to give information on your unit so I could infiltrate it all the easier. You should be proud, it took a fool week of some of our best... 'persuasion' techniques to get him to relinquish the knowledge. But in the end, he went the way your kind often do, screaming for mercy." Strife smiled wickedly at his former leader.
"Why?"
"Did you really think you would be allowed to beat the searchers? My boss knew you'd cross paths with them eventually, and the thought of you fakes actually getting the chance to beat them disgusted us no end. Too bad Elador got in the way."
"What?"
"He figured out something wasn't right. That's why we shot him with the arrow. Knew you'd blame the rebels. By now your forces at the village have suffered the same fate your troops here did, thanks to my brethren. But you... killing you is my reward for weeks of service to the cause." Strife charged the stunned Captain Evil Hare, connecting with the ebony hare's face and knocking off the battered helmet. A follow up punch knocked some teeth loose and sent blood splattering onto the rocks. But the captain wasn't done yet.
"I'll make you pay for what you did to my friends," Captain Evil Hare growled, throwing a lightning quick punch at the demonic hare. With unnatural speed, Strife sidestepped the punch, hooking the outstretched arm with his own and viciously breaking it. Captain Evil Hare barely had time to scream before Strife's other hand grabbed him by the back of his head, slamming his face into the cliff. The blow was followed up by a hard knee to the spine that brought the evil hare to his knees. The devil hare's arm lifted the evil hare up by his neck, allowing himself to look directly into the captain's blood covered face.
"You little fool, did you really think a cheap copy like you could defeat me. I'm stronger, faster, and deadlier than a pathetic creature like you will ever be. Since you were so attached to Campion, I let you share his fate." Strife's free hand came in front of Captain Evil Hare's face, two fingers pointed directly at his eyes. Both fingers grew long, sharp claws that gleamed like obsidian in the sunlight. "I don't like those stupid eyes your kind sport. They annoy me no end, just like Campion's did. But I can remedy that easy. If you're a lucky little fake, my claws might break into that flea brain of yours and kill you quick. But if you're not, we can have some more fun." The claws began to move close to the defenseless evil hare's face as he struggled weakly to get away. The claws were mere centimeters away, promising only agony for the black rabbit.
"DRAGON KICK!" The wide awake Hare screamed as his flaming foot connected with Strife, knocking the vile creature away from his victim and skipping his body three times over the meadow. Hare moved to catch the Captain Evil Hare as he fell back to the ground, his body barely able to hold itself together from the punishment he'd sustained. "You all right?"
"It feels like all my bones are broken. My legs aren't moving."
"Damn, that scumbag may have damaged your spin. Stay still, I'll try to get you out of here."
"Why would you help me?"
"I have my reasons. Plus there is something going on here, and I have a feeling you can shed some light on just what that was that attacked you."
"A pity he won't get the chance," Strife yelled as he performed a rush punch, barely missing the two monsters as Hare moved them out of the way.
"Let me go you fool! There's no way you can get him if you keep hanging onto me!"
"If I let you go what's to stop him from getting you."
"I know you mean well Tim but I can still fight, now let go."
"What did you call me?"
"I... Look out." The evil hare pushed the younger monster out of the way to avoid another rush punch from Strife before blocking the follow up attack that was directed at him. Hare returned to tackle Strife, jerking him away from the wounded baddie.
"I suggest you leave, rebel. I have no orders to kill you, just the captain here. And I would hate for Moo to think this unit was able to take out a rebel before getting itself wiped out."
"Not a chance you freak. MACHINE GUN PUNCH!" Hare's arms were a blur of motion as he threw punch after speedy punch at Strife. For a few minutes, Strife proved able to block the assault, but it didn't last. Punches landed right and left, on his black and copper body and they landed hard. The devil hare fell backward as a final left knocked him back, only to take a sweep at Hare's legs. The lapine easily avoided the attack, slamming a fist down to try to connect with Strife's body. The fist connected, or at least it seemed to. In truth, the fist actually connected with ground as it passed through Strife's body, which had morphed into a shadow form. With the speed of thought the shadow moved behind Hare, resolidifying as the devil hare slammed his fists down on the back of Hare's neck, sending him sprawling to the ground. A swift kick rolled Hare over onto his back so Strife's foot could slam down on the brown rabbit's chest, knocking the wind out of him.
"You should have taken my advice, idiot, maybe then you wouldn't be in this predicament."
"NIGHT LIGHT!" Captain Evil Hare yelled. His eyes began glowing their blinding light, catching Strife full in the face. The devil hare cried out as he tried to protect his sensitive eyes from the ray, momentarily forgetting about Hare.
"Gotcha." Hare was quick to capitalize, hitting the lethal lapine with a vertical cross-wire punch and sending him flying into the cliff wall.
"Yes," cried Captain Evil Hare. "I think we may just survive this."
"Don't bet on it," came a strange voice from nowhere. From the top of the cliff a black bolt of energy raced down, striking Captain Evil Hare full on.
"AAHHHHHHH!!" the baddie screamed as energy raced through him, further aggravating his already broken body.
"No!" Hare yelled. He looked up to see another black furred, blue- eyed rabbit staring down at them, the same copper makings on his body as Strife. This one though, was missing half of one of his ears, and his paw was smoking from firing the energy bolt.
"Strife you fool, I give you one simple assignment and you can't even so that," the new hare said, anger in his voice.
"I'm... I'm sorry boss, there were complications. But I will kill this upstart at once," Strife said, fear evident in his voice.
"No. The targets have been dealt with. Return to the warren... NOW!" The stranger commanded. Without another word, Strife transformed into a shadow and disappeared as the stranger turned to leave.
"Hold it right there," Hare demanded, approaching the strange rabbit. "I'm not gonna let you get away with this. Who are you, WHAT are you?"
"Stay back," the stranger said, firing another energy bolt which struck the ground in front of hare. "My name is Thoren. And as to what I am, you'll find out some day. Yes, you are definitely worth meeting again. Just don't get yourself maimed before then." With that, Thoren also disappeared. Hare raced over to where Captain Evil Hare laid, hoping to find some one to help him. Even a cursory evaluation showed it was no use though. The bolt had done it's job, Captain Evil Hare was dying and dying rapidly.
"Captain, Captain. You've gotta wake up. I gotta ask you something, I gotta know something." The evil hare stirred weakly, trying his best to stay awake and alive. "During the battle, you called me Tim... I have to know, how did you know my name? There's no way you could have known it. Who told it to you?"
"She described you so well... couldn't help but recognize... scarf... fur... fighting style... She still remembers... ... ..." With those words, Captain Evil Hare took on the familiar golden glow as his body transformed itself into a lost disk, leaving hare all alone in his thoughts.
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It took only ten minutes for Hare to make it back to Rimulder. The other searchers and the villagers rushed to meet him.
"Hare you're alive!" Genki called.
"Hare all right chi," Mocchi said, tears in his eyes.
"We were worried man. When those freaky rabbits showed up and said they'd set a trap for that Captain Evil Hare guy, we assumed the worst," Pink Eye explained.
"You should have seen it. These bizarre blue-eyed rabbits came out of the shadows and just started wailing on the evil hares. Killed them all before we could stop them," Gray Wolf said. "What were they?"
"I don't know, but I did see them," Hare said, pulling out Captain Evil Hare's lost disk. "They got him."
"Is it possible someone else is out to oppose Moo?" Genki wondered aloud.
"No," Hare said, "This had nothing to do with Moo. Those blue-eyes killed the evil hares cause they hated them, nothing more. Those... creatures just didn't want the evil hares to get the win over us."
"They wore Moo's crest," Golem observed, "And there was an evil about them, I felt almost afraid in their presence."
"One thing is for sure," Torten said as he approached the group, "something bad is going on, and before your quest is over, I'll bet you'll find yourself up to your necks in it."
"In any event, we've gotta press on. But what do we do with the evil hares."
"Leave them with us. When the Phoenix revives them, we'll look after them, don't worry." With that settled, the searchers once more set off, though less cheerfully than before.
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*Choices. That's all life really amounts to. Good, evil, it's all relative really. And we always have to live with our choices. But every once in a while, an opportunity comes along that lets us have a second chance to make the choices we didn't before. Long ago I chose to live the life of a warrior, using fighting from day to day as a justification for living. Now, thanks to the Phoenix, I find myself with the opportunity to start over again. Last time, my choice of fighting brought my life to a lonely end. Now I have a new trainer, and, for once, I think I'll try my hand at living at peace. I'm sure Rebecca can teach me all I need to know about that.*
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Epilogue: Weed's Journey part 3
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Weed was cold. Not surprising considering the snow that was quickly piling up at his present location. The forest's green leaves were almost covered in the white powder, making one tree look far too similar to the others. Despite that, the plant/naga was still able to find his destination, a huge tree shaped by magic into a castle. At the entrance, two cabalos sat, ready to repel any hostile intruders.
"Halt, where are you going?"
"I'm here to see master Tiger with a message from master Moo," Weed said, hoping he sounded braver than he felt.
"Follow me," one of the cabalos said, and Weed quickly obeyed. Soon he was led into a huge chamber, the throne room of Tiger of the Wind. The wolf was busily eating his dinner, a fat deer, along with his lieutenants.
"Well, what is this that disturbs my meal? A dinner salad perhaps. Or maybe some nice fruit for dessert," Tiger said, his teeth showing in a menacing fashion. Weed found himself paralyzed, unable to respond to the wolf's question. "Well, what's the matter? Can't you talk, or are you some sort of mute?!"
"N... No! I bring a message from Master Moo. He commands that you come to the floating castle within three days time."
"Why?"
"He wishes to discuss the problem of the rebels who search for the Phoenix. I trust you will not disappoint him."
"Speak carefully little weed. Take too many liberties with your message and I'll be forced to bite your snotty head off." At these words Weed was taken back.
"You... You wouldn't dare, Master Moo's command protects me."
"Then why are you shivering, little flower? Is it because you realize that Master Moo is not here to enforce his edict? This is treacherous territory, as Master Moo himself can attest to. I'm sure it would not be too difficult to convince him that some unfortunate accident has befallen you..."
"You wouldn't," Weed said, backing away in case Tiger tried to close off his escape. Suddenly, the blue and white wolf broke into an uproarious laughter, which was closely followed by the wolves that sat near him. "What are you laughing about?!" Weed yelled, suddenly becoming indignant.
"Ah, your entertainment value alone is worth any liberty you might take little one. That you actually believed I would eat you is priceless," Tiger said.
"You mean you weren't serious?"
"Of course not. We tigers are strictly carnivorous. Plant's are the last thing to get us salivating. Return to our master little one, and tell him I will be there before the deadline."
"I'd love to, but I still have one member of the Four to see, Master Daemon." At these worlds the wolves all stopped laughing and a very serious expression came over Tiger of the Wind's face.
"Listen to me carefully little weed, for I only say this because I like you. Be very careful when you see the dark one. His sense of humor is much less friendly than mine. Don't turn your back on him if you value your life, even with the protection Moo's commands afford you. Now, be on your way." A simple swish of his tail motioned for Weed to leave, off to finally complete his long journey.
To Be Continued...
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Well that's the story. Just read and review it. Next episode features Golem and the end of the Journey Begins in the Gift of a Child. With any luck it will take a lot less longer to complete than choices. See ya next time...
The Journey Begins: Choices
By Cale Kuecker (Ashertye@aol.com)
Summary: The searchers have come across the town of Rimulder, a lovely little village with a dam, a river, and a beautiful meadow of flowers. The baddies are there too, and Captain Evil Hare thinks he may have a plan to clean up in Moo's army.
Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Rancher in any way shape or form. If you try to sue me for using it, you'll get nothing but bus change. Do not use this story without my permission and do not change it for the same. Oh, and since I don't know all the names and attacks of the monsters, I may have to make some up. Please read and review, but be forewarned, any and all rude comments will be misread and warped to whatever my imagination can come up with. Enjoy
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"You have choice, it may not be a good choice, but it is a choice."
-"Dangerous Minds."
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*Choices. That's all life really boils down to. Everything's a choice we have to live with. Good, evil, it's all relative really. That's about the most intelligent lesson I ever picked up from humans, and then they turn around and give their power of choice over to another. Well, I never said I could figure human's out any.*
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The day was bright and shining as the seven searchers walked out of the forest. Genki and Moochi ran races with each other trying up and down the path while Pink Eye and Gray Wolf bickered about inconsequential matters. Joshua was too busy keeping an eye on the children to pay them much mind. Golem trudged along, his eyes darting back and forth between the road and the flowering plants.
*Maybe I'll take another journey after this one and see what other types of flowers there are. Summer seems to be the perfect time for this kind of thing,* Golem thought to himself.
"Hey Golem, you mind not jerking around so much, you're making the trip bumpier than it really has to be," came a voice from the rock giant's shoulder. Hare sat there, his nose in the book their latest friend, Melonzo, had given them. Since the rabbit did have more traveling experience that the others, Joshua had asked him to read the book and try to decipher any clues it gave them as to where the Phoenix could be.
"Sorry Hare. Are you having any luck with that book?"
"Not as much as I'd hoped. This thing covers places I didn't even know existed. But if there's a clue here, I'll find it."
"Hey guys!" Genki called from on top of a hill, Moochi at his side. "You gotta see this."
"Genki, what have I told you about moving so far ahead of the group. It's too easy for you to get bushwhacked by some baddie out to make a name for itself."
"Oh come on Josh, there's not a baddie around that could catch me on these," Genki said, indicating his skates as he noticeably puffed up with pride. Suddenly, the skates moved sending the boy flying backward out of control. "AH!" Genki cried, startled at his sudden movement. The other searchers immediately began to run forward to make sure Genki had not injured himself. What they saw instead was that he had tumbled into a very big field of wildflowers, which acted to cushion the boy's fall. Giggling, Genki got to his feet and motioned for the others to join him. Of course the first to react was Golem, who slowly walked down, almost on tiptoe, so as not to crush the fragile plants.
"Hey do you hear that?" Gray Wolf said, pausing in his descent to listen closely.
"What I don't hear anything," Pink Eye said, a little agitated at being stopped in mid-hop.
"Quiet I hear it too," Hare said, a cupped paw to his ear. It wasn't long before the sound reached everyone else's ears too, the clanging of a bell from the nearby town. Several townspeople carrying farming implements as crude weapons entered the field, angry looks on their faces. Tiger, Hare, Pink Eye, Mocchi, and Genki got into their fighting stances, while the others, unsure as to what was going on, simply got ready for anything.
"If you hoodlums think you can steal our food, you've got another think coming," the lead villager said, brandishing a pickax. The others echoed this sentiment, threatening bodily harm if the searchers came any closer to the village. It was all Gray Wolf could do to keep from tearing would-be warriors apart for blocking him.
"We're not trying to steal your food, we're just passing through!" Genki shouted back, more than a little insulted at being called a thief.
"Oh yeah right, that's just what the followers of Moo would say."
"Wait a minute, we're not with Moo," Joshua said, showing off his neck. "See no medallion. And there aren't any medallions on the rest of my group."
"Hold on there, let me up front. Come on, move it ya big galoot," came a voice from inside the mob as an old man made his way to the front. The searchers all had to struggle to keep from bursting into laughter at the sight of the old man, and even then a few giggles escaped Genki and Mocchi's lips. The old man was incredibly thin and withered, his arms and legs strongly resembling dried sticks. He was completely bald and the top of his head was shiny enough to bounce sunlight off of. In his hand rested a walking stick with a thick club at it's top, probably very suitable for knocking sense into others. A thick beard and mustache of white hair obscured the bottom half of his face while dark sunglasses and bushy white eyebrows hid the top. The color scheme of his clothes didn't simply clash but instead made all out war with itself. His silk shirt alone seemed comprised of more colors than the meadow, and Genki would have almost sworn the whole thing had come from his world. The old man looked at the group, eyeing them carefully before turning back to the villagers. "You ninnies! Do these look like followers of Moo to you!?!"
"Sorry elder, but you said to be wary of a group of monsters..."
"Exactly! Monsters, no humans, and they'd be wearing those accursed medals on their chests!" So saying, the old man turned to the rebels. "I apologize on behalf of my friends. Since Moo has been active, we've been seeing a lot of nasty monsters running around. Why just last week a merchant's wagon was attacked by a group of arrow heads and a purple suezo. When Michael here saw you, he probably assumed you to be attacking the village."
"Well, no harm, no foul I say," Joshua said, extending his hand to the elder, which was accepted. "One cannot be too careful in these times."
"Yes, but it should not come at the expense of meeting new people. And I insist we make it up to you for the scare," the old man said, motioning for them to follow him.
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"Well well well," Captain Evil Hare said, watching the meadow through his binoculars. Behind him, laying on their furry bellies to keep from being spotted, were eleven other evil hares, all wearing medallions with Moo's insignia on them. "It would seem the rebels have found some friends."
"So what's the plan Captain?" A particularly large evil hare asked, not even bothering to keep his voice down.
"Quiet. We may be hidden, but I'd wager that gray wolf would hear us if you kept bellowing like that."
"Sorry sir," the evil hare said.
"Don't let it happen again. Now, as for a plan, that dam should do nicely."
"Sir?"
"Destroy the dam and release the water. We'll drown the rebels in the raging river."
"And the village?"
"Regrettable, but necessary. We'll grab the stone from the wreckage, as well as any lost disks. Master Moo might be able to use some of them." So saying, Captain Evil Hare raised his hand, motioning for his warriors to move out.
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*Let's get one thing straight, I have no real love for humans, but I also don't really hate them. I probably wouldn't help a human, but then again I don't go out of my way to harm them either. That's probably one of the big reasons I haven't made it very far in Moo's army. Oh well, I refuse to be something I'm not simply to get ahead in life.
I guess the only real problem I have with humans is that they always seem to hate my kind. Now that doesn't make sense. They say humans created monsters. How can you hate something you created? Well it doesn't matter, I'm a fighter, not a philosopher. That's the life I've chosen and I refuse to feel sorry for it.*
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The tiny village of Rimulder was as nice up close as it appeared from afar, aside from the fact that many of it's citizens giving the newcomers suspicious glances.
"Can't you just feel the love in the air," Gray Wolf commented, keeping a watchful eye out in case anyone tried anything funny.
"Will you give it a rest. It was just a misunderstanding when they attacked us. They thought we were baddies," Genki said.
"You have to expect the worst, kid, otherwise the world will flatten you."
"That's a very cynical view, my friend," the elder said, overhearing Gray Wolf's comment.
"I'm a very cynical wolf."
"That must be lonely then," the old man said. The he turned to a wood and brick building. "Ah, this is the grocer's. You should be able to stock up on supplies here. If you're low on funds, don't worry, Tom's been known to make trades for any interesting knickknacks you might have." The searchers looked inside to find a blue hare in an apron sitting behind the counter. The azure rabbit looked up an smiled politely at them.
"So you're the newbies causing so much ruckus outside today," the hare/tiger hybrid said.
"Yes, I suppose we are," Joshua said. The big man was softly nudged aside as Hare squeezed past him and into the store. The brown bunny began to inspect the shop, taking notice of all the wares in the place.
"I gotta say this is a nice place, Tom is it? You're boss certainly must run a tight ship," Hare said.
"Why yes I do. And if you think you can get a lower price for my goods by buttering me up, you'll have better luck with some toast," Tom said. Hare seemed almost at a loss for words as he took in this information.
"You mean you own this whole shop?" he asked.
"Well, not yet. I had to take out a few loans to get this place running, but once I pay off that, I will own the whole place."
"Very nice. Well, I guess I'll help you get just a little bit closer to your goal then." So saying, Hare grabbed a handful of candy and paid with a gold coin. The hare handed some of the candy to Mocchi and Genki, but before they could eat it, they heard a commotion outside.
"Master Torten! Master Torten!" yelled a boy as he came running up a street. The old man walked out of the shop to meet the boy.
"Billy what is it?"
"The look out... sent me to find you...," the boy panted, out of breath. "Strange monsters... at the dam... attacking."
"Oh no, if they destroy the dam Rimulder will be washed away," Torten said. "Billy, get the militia together, we need to stop them."
"That'll take too long, those monsters'll have your dam destroyed before you can get up there," Joshua said.
"Leave it to us, we'll stop them," Genki stated, skating off, Gray Wolf and Mocchi hot on his heels with the rest only a little ways behind.
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*I hate fighting.
That sounds strange coming from someone like me doesn't it, but it's true. The problem is all my life fighting is the only thing I've ever known. My mother used to tell me that before the creation of monsters, human's used to keep normal animals as pets. Sometimes they even used them in fights. And then the animal seemed to be totally unable to live a peaceful life.
I think that's what happened to me. I'd love to prove myself wrong, but try telling that to a commander who always wants to go to war. In a world as harsh as this, only the fighters have any success. At least that's what I've been led to believe. And I am pretty good at it.*
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Meanwhile, at the dam, the evil hare unit was busy adding more stress to an already stressed construct. The plan was simple; cause enough damage to the dam to cause it to begin to give then get out of the way and let nature take it's course. Already the wood was beginning to crack and give way, and little streams of water were bursting through.
Six evil hares currently were punching the dam when Genki, Mocchi and Gray Wolf arrived on the scene, calling for them to stop. Gray Wolf didn't even give them a chance to stop, zapping the two closest with a lightening bolt. Both ebony rabbits jumped aside, their fur standing on end from the electric attack. They leapt forward ready to trash the wolf as two fresh evil hares took their place at the dam. From on top three more evil hares dropped down, attacking Genki and Mocchi. Two used a charging bunch only to be feel their lower jaws connect with Genki's wheeled foot and Mocchi's hard head. The third evil hare was more successful, going between the two youngsters in order to hit them both from behind with his elbows, sending both flying.
Gray Wolf jumped into the air, followed closely by the two evil hares.
"LIGHT..."
"NIGHT LIGHT!" the two rabbits called in unison, as they're red eyes began to glow bright enough to blind Gray Wolf. Unable to aim his attack, or even see his opponents, Gray Wolf became easy prey as the evil hares grabbed his front legs, throwing him back to the ground. The lupine was only barely able to right himself before hitting the ground, and the temporary blindness subsided in time for him to see his two assailants diving at him, their fists extended to hit him. Gray Wolf was ready, roaring his mightiest roar as they came close, sending both flying again into the dam.
"Not so tough when you can't do a sneak attack are you," Gray Wolf snorted.
Genki and Mocchi had righted themselves and were busy fighting off their own evil hares, which now numbered four. Suddenly, a great stone hand came down between the two groups as a brown form ran along it's length, punching the evil hares and knocking each to the ground.
"Banzai!" Pink Eye yelled as he appeared above another black bunny, flattening the unfortunate warrior as he fell. Joshua yanked two more evil hares away from the dam as Gray Wolf tackled the last one.
"We can't let them destroy the dam," Joshua said. Blocking the evil hares from returning to their deadly work.
"Don't worry, they're not gettin' by me," Gray Wolf called, firing a lightning bolt at one that attempted to sneak by.
"Me neither," Genki said, echoed by Mocchi. Hare stood to the left of the boy, glaring at the assembled baddies as if daring them to try something. And behind them all stood their last line of defense; Golem, who was spreading himself out to catch any baddies that came by.
"As if you losers could stop us," yelled Captain Evil Hare as the helmeted hare dropped down in front of Gray Wolf. A weak spin kick to the face was all it took to get Gray Wolf angry. The silver lupine lunged for his assailant, which the captain easily dodged. The wolf took another angry swipe, only to hit thin air.
"That's it... SONIC MOVE!" Gray wolf called as he disappeared, only to find himself on the receiving end of a very quick spin kick that sent him flying back to Golem. Captain Evil Hare used the wolf as a stepping stone, jumping up onto the rock monster. Gray Wolf was quick to recover however, and gave chase, disrupting any chance of Golem swatting the ebony hare without hitting Gray Wolf. The evil hare jumped off of Golem's head, landing in front of the dam with Gray Wolf hot on his heels.
"Gray Wolf stop him!" Yelled Joshua.
"Just watch me... LIGHTNING!!"
"NO NOT THAT!" Joshua screamed, as the silver energy left the wolf's horns.
"Too late," Captain Evil Hare said as he dodged, letting the lightning strike the dam. The wood blackened under the energy assault, becoming very weak as it did so. "Evil Hare's disappear!" Captain Evil Hare commanded as he used a charging punch to slam into the weakened wood. Huge cracks now freely spread over the structure as the dam began to give way and all the evil hares disappeared. Golem was the first to react, rushing forward to use his great strength to prop up the collapsing structure, followed closely by Joshua, Genki, and Mocchi.
"Gray Wolf, use your arctic blast to freeze the water," Hare commanded.
"I'd never be able to freeze the whole river."
"Then do just the dam, that should buy us some time for a more permanent solution."
"Everyone back away," Gray Wolf commanded. As soon as they were gone, Gray Wolf summoned his most powerful freezing technique, and the familiar blue and white beam shot forth from his mouth, completely freezing the crumbling dam. The sound of the disturbed water slamming into the wall of ice was thunderous.
"That should hold it, but we're not out of the woods yet," Genki said, backing away from the frozen dam. Golem held fast, unwilling to rely solely on the ice to keep the water back.
"What happened?" Torten called as he and a group of villagers came running up the path.
"The evil hares were able to bust open the dam," Genki said.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault for falling for that black rabbit's trick..."
"Blame can come later, right now we have to fix that dam, the ice is melting rapidly." The old man turned towards his assembled group. "Well, what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Get moving." On command the villagers went to work, trying their best to fix the broken dam. It didn't matter what they did though, because it was still patchwork and water continued to leak out, weakening the entire project. Gray Wolf had resorted to using his weaker blizzard attacks to create temporary stops while the rest of the searchers pitched in as best they could to patch up the dam. Golem stood fast, quite possibly the only reason the dam had not collapsed already.
"This isn't working," Hare said, stopping as he surveyed the situation further.
"That is becoming painfully obvious my friend. But unless you have some other way to stop this river, keep working." Torten answered.
"I just might. There's a fork in the river bed, all we have to do is block off the side leading to Rimulder. What we need is another dam."
"It took us a week to build this one, there's no way we can hold back the river that long."
"Ah, but you're forgetting Gray Wolf's speed and Golem's strength, not to mention Pink Eye's teleport attack. If we pool those talents we can have a good enough dam built pretty quickly."
"Okay rabbit, but remember, we can only hold the water back so long."
"Guys, come on, we gotta plan," Hare called, racing off to the forest, the other searchers close behind.
It did not take long for the searchers, sans Golem and Genki, to make it to the forest. The boy and rock giant had been left at the fork in the river, waiting for their parts in Hare's plan. Gray Wolf leapt at the trees, firing torpedoes which crashed through the trunks easily. The giant plants fell down as Hare and Mocchi quickly stripped the branches from them. Joshua drug the felled trees into a stack as quickly as he could. Once a sufficient pile had been accumulated, Pink Eye touched the wood, teleporting himself and the trees to where Golem stood. Golem went straight to work, standing up the logs to form a crude dam while Genki filled in any gaps with clay and sand. In less than an hour and a half, three walls of wood and clay stood ready to try to repel the watery onslaught that was to come. As a precaution, the townspeople had begun to move to higher ground, moving whatever they could out of the river's potential path. The workers at the old dam could hold the construct together no longer, running to safety as the water came rushing forward. Everybody made it to the hill the village's population made it to, fingers and toes crossed as the water slammed into the ramshackle dam, creating a very audible creaking sound as it did so.
"Is it holding?"
"It looks like it."
"Mommy I'm scared!"
"Don't worry baby, Torten won't let us down."
"Pink Eye, what do you see?" Joshua asked. The pink suezo took a moment to focus his eye as he stared at the dam.
"It's holding... but not by much. Oh kuso, one of the logs is loose. The water is coming through."
"No, our town will be washed away."
"Now don't panic everyone, there must be something we can do," Torten said.
"There's no time. We have to get out of here before the river overtakes this hill," Gray Wolf yelled, ready to grab as many of the villagers as he could to get them to safety. Suddenly, Joshua noticed someone was missing.
"Genki... Where are you kid?!" the big man yelled. A quick search revealed Genki to be at the foot of the new dam, desperately trying to keep the dam in one piece. "Genki, get back up here! We have to get out of here right now!"
"I'm not leaving! We can't just abandon these people," Genki said as he struggled to push the log back in place. It seemed an exercise in futility though, as the thirteen year old was not strong enough to fight the raging current. That was when the log began to slowly move back into place as Golem added his own strength to Genki's efforts. The small hands of a little girl began shoving clay and dirt back into the little holes to seal up the dam again. One by one more people joined the trio, all working to bolster the dam as the river gradually became weaker. Finally, it's new course finally set, the dam was finally able hold the river back without help.
"I... I think we did it," a dirty Gray Wolf said.
"We did, didn't we," an equally filthy Hare replied.
"We saved the town, we save the town," Mocchi sang out, swinging around with the little girl. That was all it took for the rest of the crowd to break out in applause, cheering their success. After a few minutes of this, Torten raised his hands, signaling for quiet.
"All right, all right people. We have a right to be pleased with ourselves, but our job isn't finished yet. That dam may be holding back the river for now, but it's only a temporary patch. We need to reinforce it if we expect it to last. Now hop to." Then the elder turned to the seven searchers. "As for you seven, I can't thank you enough. If not for your help, Rimulder would have been destroyed. The least I can do is offer you a place to stay at my house for the night."
"Thank you Mr. Torten, but we really can't accept..."
"Nonsense, I insist. And I'll take it as a very personal insult if you don't accept," Torten countered. That was all it took.
"Well then, I can't refuse such a heartfelt offer," Joshua said, extending his hand to Torten, who shook it.
"Excellent. The construction crew can take it from here, so why don't you follow me and I'll show you where you'll be staying."
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"Damn!" Captain Evil Hare said as he watched the events unfold through his binoculars.
"What's wrong Cap?"
"Those searchers were able to stop the river with a new dam. How can a single group be this difficult to eradicate?"
"We could... try to destroy the dam again," another evil hare said.
"Campion you know better than to suggest doing the same trick twice. I'm not about to try a failed plan on enemies who are prepared for an attack."
"It's not like we have to destroy the rebels."
"What did you say Elador?"
"Well, pardon my impertinence, but Moo's orders didn't say to kill the rebels, we just have to get that stone of theirs. Maybe we should focus on that."
"Hmm, you just gave me an idea kid," Captain Evil Hare said, motioning for everyone's attention. "Gather round, we have work to do."
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In only a little more than an hour, Torten had shown the searchers his home, thanking them again for the help they'd given. Gray Wolf winced a little at the show of gratitude, unsure if he was deserving of such praise.
*If not for my temper, Captain Evil Hare wouldn't have made it to the dam. Why'd I have to let him get my goat?* Gray Wolf thought later, as he rested in the searchers' empty room. The other six had opted to see more of the village after dinner, an activity the tiger hybrid didn't feel up to at the moment.
"My but you look lost in thought," came a voice that woke Gray Wolf from his thoughts. Torten stood in the doorway, a tray of leftovers from dinner in his hands. "I thought you might be hungry. I noticed you didn't eat much at dinner, kinda like ya had something on your mind."
"None of your business old man," Gray Wolf said, turning his head so he didn't have to look at his host.
"Ah, so I was right. You're thinking about what you did at the dam." At these words Gray Wolf looked back at Torten, surprised and a little confused at the old man's revelation.
"How did you..."
"Minds are like books, they're easy to read if you know how. And, despite how much you try to make it appear otherwise, it's easy to see when your troubled. I imagine you feel the dam breaking was in some way your fault."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Gray Wolf said, becoming defensive.
"Then why did you try to apologize back at the bridge?" Torten said, placing the tray down in front of the silver-furred wolf. "You may try to hide it behind the facade of a bandit, but you have the soul of nobility. I somehow doubt you travel with your companions simply seeking revenge. And I also doubt you were simply going with the group when you helped us."
"If you ask me, you're not as good at this reading thing as you claim."
"Then explain the two cabalos pups that were with your pack."
"How do you know about them?"
"I didn't... not for sure anyway. But I have heard of the Wild Pack, which supposedly included twin hare hounds, a female rock hound, a daton, a datonare, a mangled jagd hound, and TWO baby cabalos pups. Tell me, what need would a fearsome band of rogues need of not one, not two, but three members who were unable to fight?"
"They... they... they..."
"They needed you, didn't they? The same reason you joined with the rebels and helped save our village. Someone needed your help, and you felt obligated to give it. And when that evil hare used you to destroy the dam, it was like you failed wasn't it." Gray Wolf did not have an answer to give the village elder. "I think you should know we thank you for your efforts. If not for that ice blast of yours, we never would have had the chance to save Rimulder." So saying, Torten left Gray Wolf to his thoughts once more.
****************************
Genki, Pink Eye, and Mocchi walked through the town, watching as the town swiftly got back to normal after it's near destruction. Fewer people were out during the evening hours, but the streets still remained a hot bed of activity. Many of the people notice the short procession and waved, thanking the three for their part in saving their town.
"Well, I gotta say, towns are a lot nicer when they're not in immanent peril," Pink Eye said as they passed a couple of human's walking down the street.
"I'd like to know how those baddies keep finding us. I mean, if we keep leaving them dead, how are they reporting to Moo?"
"There's a rumor that one of the monsters in Moo's army has the ability speak with dead monsters," Pink Eye said. "I'm not really sure about that though. I mean, I've never even heard of a power like that."
"Yeah well..." Genki began before feeling a small tug on his shirt. The boy turned around to find his shirt in the grasp of the little girl who'd tried to help him keep the new dam up. She was dressed in the same pink dress as before, and her blonde hair was now dry and full of bouncy curls.
"Thank you for saving our town," she said in a sweet and innocent voice.
"Well, thank you for your help. We probably wouldn't have been able to hold up the dam if not for you Miss...?"
"My name's Rebecca," the girl smiled. That was when her mother called for her, prompting for her to return.
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Back at the grocer, Hare was busy haggling for supplies with Tom the blue hare.
"I don't care what you say, this food cannot be worth more than twenty silvers," Hare said, trying his hardest to drive a miser's bargain.
"What you don't seem to understand is that the food you've selected doesn't come from Rimulder. It costs me money to import such things and eighty silvers is a good price," Tom countered, trying equally hard at price gouging.
"Don't lie to me, I saw a carrot patch on my way into this town, how can they be imported. Twenty-five silvers is more than enough to cover any other expenses."
"I'll give ya the carrots, but the rice is not from here. Neither is the beef. Most of the meat-eaters around here hunt deer and wild boar. In light of that fact, I can hardly charge less than seventy-five."
"Look, I like you, and I respect what you've done with this place. That's why I've come this far with you. Let's be serious, though, imported only means the food is aged and we all know age decreases travel time. But like I said, I like you, so I'm willing go as high as thirty-seven silver."
"Flattery will get you nowhere long ears. The beef has been smoked and salted to preserve it, so there's no need to worry about it spoiling. And we all know rice doesn't spoil, still I'd be willing to let you have it for, say, sixty-three silvers."
"You know, I heard you're also interested in foreign knickknacks," Hare said, showing off a small object in his hand. It was a statue of a hare cut from quartz crystal and almost seemed to come alive when the lights hit it. "This little knickknack should be good enough to stimulate your curios curiosity. It's the third to last one the artist ever made, a beautiful work if I do say so myself. He gave it and another one to me in exchange for a favor I did him. It comes all the way from the western continent and is easily help bring the price down to, say, forty-five silvers?" Tom gently lifted the figurine from Hare's outstretched paw, looking at it closely as he turned it around.
"When you're right you're right. This is an exquisite piece of work. I don't get many things from the western continent now that Moo has it. But I'm afraid even with that tab I can only knock the price down to... fifty-five silvers."
"Make it fifty. After all, we are heroes to this town."
"Well... Since you did save the town... All right, but you try to pull this trick again, I'll kick you out on your furry butt."
"Hey, I'm working on a limited budget, you gotta expect me to pull every trick in the book. I'll be by tomorrow with the money to pick up the supplies." Hare said, leaving the monster grocer to examine his new treasure more closely.
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*How often do you find yourself doing things that are distasteful? I keep finding myself in all sorts of situations that call for such things. I've lost count of the number of missions that have required me to destroy sometimes whole villages, and that simple fact disgusts me no end. I don't have a problem with killing, those are the fortunes of war. But when killing becomes so commonplace that you don't even see it as something to remember, that's when you should retire.
People say killing never gets any easier, that it's always a hard thing to do. People are idiots. Killing can become almost a second nature if you're not careful. Sometimes at night, I find myself dwelling on that, trying my hardest to remember a time when I didn't have blood on my hands, but with no luck.
I guess that's why human's are a bit wary around monsters, the ease with which we can take a life scares them. I've heard all sorts of stories of all sorts of monsters going on killing sprees in human villages. But then I've heard the same thing about humans killing monsters, sometimes even hunting them for sport. It's a cruel world, and, heaven help me, it's creatures like me that make it so...*
*********************************************
The searchers left from Rimulder only a few scant hours after dawn, with only the village elder Torten for a send off. Joshua hefted his heavy backpack into the air as he and his friends prepared to take off.
"Well, I guess this is so long," Torten said, shaking Joshua's hand. "Thank you for your help in saving our town. I hope you are able to find what you're looking for."
"According to the stone, we'll be following the river a part of the ways. Is there anything you can tell us about the area?"
"Not much to tell really, nothing overly interesting to or do."
"Well, hopefully we'll have a peaceful journey for a while. Good- bye." So saying, the searchers left.
**************************************
"The searchers have left sir and our reinforcements have arrived," Elador said to his commander, indicating the twenty additional evil hares that now stood at attention.
"Excellent. Put our plan in motion. Send up a signal fire when you succeed. I'll run intercept with the rebels."
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The group of seven had traveled only an hour, and had managed to put a great deal of distance between themselves and Rimulder.
"Well, well, well, look what the Kato dragged in," came a voice only a few feet ahead. Sitting on a rock by the river was none other than Captain Evil Hare, looking as smug as he could possibly be. Gray Wolf's hackles rose as he growled at the helmeted hare as the other searchers dropped into defensive stances, ready to fend off any ambush that might have been set up.
"You have a lot of guts, being out here alone, baddie," Gray Wolf growled.
"I suppose the nose knows. But I actually didn't come all this way to fight you. I want the magic stone I know you possess."
"And what makes you think we'll give it to you?" Genki said. At this, Captain Evil Hare simple pointed behind them in Rimulder's direction, where a column of smoke rose in the air.
"That signal there tells me that my evil hares have taken over that village you losers were just in. So you have a choice; surrender the stone to me before noon... or continue your quest knowing that you've let an entire village die."
"And what if we decide to grab you and force your troops to get out of the village," Gray Wolf threatened.
"Nice try, but my troops have orders to start killing if I don't return. I'll be waiting for your reply back at the village. Sayonara." With that, Captain Evil Hare dove into the swiftly moving river and was swept away towards the village.
"Damn!!" Gray Wolf yelled, as the rebels began to race back.
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An hour and a half later found a waterlogged Captain Evil Hare pulling himself up out of the river and into the arms of two of his subordinates. The entire population of Rimulder had been herded into the village square. The monsters were chained and bound together to prevent them from using their attacks. Twenty-seven evil hares stood guarding the prisoners, with looks on their faces ranging from cold indifference to burning hatred.
"These are all of them?"
"Yes captain. It was a little difficult to get some of them but it was nothing we couldn't handle."
"Excellent."
"I demand you release us this instant," yelled Torten from the crowd, getting up only to immediately be accosted by Campion.
"Who are you to demand anything, wretch."
"Campion, bring that man to me," Captain Evil Hare ordered. Roughly the large evil hare yanked the old man to his leader, almost throwing the human to the evil hare's feet. "I didn't tell you to rough him up fool. We're not barbarians." The black rabbit helped the village elder to his feet.
"I don't need your help," Torten said in a flat tone. "I demand you release us. We have done no wrong to you, your attack is totally unwarranted."
"Not so fast. You recently gave shelter to a group of rebels who stand against Master Moo. I'd say that justifies any action we take. But set your mind at ease, old one, as long as those rebels comply with our demands, no harm will befall you."
"Yeah," Campion continued, "So you pathetic humans better just shut up and be grateful we don't... AHHH!" The evil hare was interrupted as a small foot smashed into his own. He grabbed his foot and hopped around howling in pain as his assailant, Rebecca, scowled at him.
"You leave us alone you big bully!" She shouted.
"Why you little worm, I'll make you pay for what you did to my foot!!" Campion shouted as he pulled back a fist, ready to send the girl into orbit. Suddenly, another fist connected with Campion's jaw, knocking him to the ground.
"CAMPION! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY MY ORDERS!" Came Captain Evil Hare's angry yell. "Keep that temper of yours in check, rabbit, the last thing I need is for you to screw this up."
"My thoughts exactly," came a hard voice from behind. The baddie captain turned around to find Gray Wolf, Hare, Golem, and Joshua standing at the entrance to the village.
"Ah, so you're here. As you can see we've kept our end of the bargain. I hope, for their sakes, you kept yours."
"We did," Joshua said, holding up the magic stone for all to see.
"Excellent. But tell me, where have your friends gone?"
"They disagreed with my decision and refused to come along. They're waiting for us back at the river," Joshua explained. "You do realize that even without the magic stone, we'll still find the Phoenix and destroy Moo."
"Sure you will, and with any luck you'll also find El Dorado." As this talk went on, Pink Eye, Mocchi, and Genki quietly teleported into the crowd of captives. Once there, they began to quickly undo the restraints on the villagers. Joshua and the others made sure to keep the evil hare's attention on them, buying the trio as much time as they could. Suddenly, there was a scream as everyone's attention turned to Elador. The evil hare was desperately clutching his bloody chest. An arrow ran through his body, piercing his heart like a razor. The rabbit's body took on a familiar glow as it warped and lost it's shape, becoming a disk held up by a small root.
"Elador!" Captain Evil Hare turned around to find the other three searchers in the act of freeing the hostages. "Treachery... Evil Hares... DESTROY THEM ALL." Captain Evil Hare leapt for the magic stone as Joshua yanked it away.
"The jigs up guys, get those ropes undone now," Gray Wolf yelled, tackling Captain Evil Hare as Golem immediately moved to block four other evil hares from attacking his friends. Joshua's fist slammed into another evil hare as did Pink Eye's tongue. The battle continued with six of the searchers trying their hardest to protect the villagers. Gray Wolf's fired his torpedoes in rapid succession, striking as many of the dark rabbits as he could, only to find more taking their place. Mocchi continually bounced off opponents, finally landing on Golem's shoulder as the rock giant swung his great arm, sending the hapless hares flying. As for the captain, he had his hands full simply blocking the flurry of fists coming from Hare.
"I must say, you are an excellent fighter. I haven't had this much fun in ages. If you hadn't proven to be so treacherous, I'd offer you a spot in my unit," Captain Evil Hare said as he blocked a punch to his face before countering with a kick to Hare's gut.
"Like I woulda taken it. You oughta give up now, baddie, with the villagers and their monsters freed, you don't have enough warriors to fight us," Hare retorted, sweeping the evil hare's legs.
"Ha, if you think these are all the evil hares I have, you're a fool. I'm outta here, but I'll be back soon." With that, Captain Evil Hare grabbed a hand full of dirt, throwing it into his opponent's eyes before taking off. Hare quickly wiped off his face just in time to catch see the captain leave.
"Gray Wolf we need to stop him!" Hare yelled.
"I'm kinda busy here," Gray Wolf yelled back, as he threw off the four baddies who had been trying to pin him.
"Pink Eye?"
"Not a chance," the suezo type said as his tongue slammed into an evil hare nearby Genki was having problems of his own in freeing the villagers. "Looks like you're gonna have to do it yourself, Hare."
"Be careful, for all we know this is just another trap," Joshua warned.
"Don't worry, I can handle it," Hare said as he took off in pursuit, unaware of Campion's watchful eye.
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*The first rule of making a plan is to always have a back up. That's the first rule any good leader learns. The second is adaptability. No plan is ever so good that it remains effective after a battle begins. A good commander is able to change a plan as needed. Of course, there's always the problem of the unexpected, which can kill even the best warrior.*
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Captain Evil Hare smiled as he ran, looking over his shoulder to see Hare giving chase.
*I was hoping for the kid, but that hare should so just as well,* the captain thought. *There's the cliff where the others should be, now we'll see how good plan B is.* The captain arrived to find no one present.
"Where is everyone?" Captain Evil Hare asked no one in particular. "I ordered those furballs to stay here as an ambush."
"What's a matter, the big bad baddie not prepared to fight alone?" Hare called as he caught up. The captain ignored his opponent, instead searching all the available hiding places for his warriors. All he found though were nine lost disks.
"What happened here?!? WHO KILLED MY EVIL HARES!?!?!?!" Captain Evil Hare screamed in a rage.
"I think I may be able to answer that question." Both hares turned around to find Campion right behind them, or rather, now in front of Hare. The purebreed grunted as Campion's knee dug into his gut, doubling him over and setting him up perfectly for a wicked uppercut that turned out the rabbit's lights.
"Campion, what are you doing here?"
"Completing my mission," the black rabbit stated. A black aura began to emerge on the evil hare as his form began to contort slightly. He grew larger and the gray in his ears was replaced by red. Copper markings began to appear all over his body, and his buck teeth separated into fangs. Finally, his red eyes changed color, the brilliant red fading into an eerily cold blue. "I am not Campion, my name is Strife. That fool has been dead for days, thanks to my brethren. We needed him to give information on your unit so I could infiltrate it all the easier. You should be proud, it took a fool week of some of our best... 'persuasion' techniques to get him to relinquish the knowledge. But in the end, he went the way your kind often do, screaming for mercy." Strife smiled wickedly at his former leader.
"Why?"
"Did you really think you would be allowed to beat the searchers? My boss knew you'd cross paths with them eventually, and the thought of you fakes actually getting the chance to beat them disgusted us no end. Too bad Elador got in the way."
"What?"
"He figured out something wasn't right. That's why we shot him with the arrow. Knew you'd blame the rebels. By now your forces at the village have suffered the same fate your troops here did, thanks to my brethren. But you... killing you is my reward for weeks of service to the cause." Strife charged the stunned Captain Evil Hare, connecting with the ebony hare's face and knocking off the battered helmet. A follow up punch knocked some teeth loose and sent blood splattering onto the rocks. But the captain wasn't done yet.
"I'll make you pay for what you did to my friends," Captain Evil Hare growled, throwing a lightning quick punch at the demonic hare. With unnatural speed, Strife sidestepped the punch, hooking the outstretched arm with his own and viciously breaking it. Captain Evil Hare barely had time to scream before Strife's other hand grabbed him by the back of his head, slamming his face into the cliff. The blow was followed up by a hard knee to the spine that brought the evil hare to his knees. The devil hare's arm lifted the evil hare up by his neck, allowing himself to look directly into the captain's blood covered face.
"You little fool, did you really think a cheap copy like you could defeat me. I'm stronger, faster, and deadlier than a pathetic creature like you will ever be. Since you were so attached to Campion, I let you share his fate." Strife's free hand came in front of Captain Evil Hare's face, two fingers pointed directly at his eyes. Both fingers grew long, sharp claws that gleamed like obsidian in the sunlight. "I don't like those stupid eyes your kind sport. They annoy me no end, just like Campion's did. But I can remedy that easy. If you're a lucky little fake, my claws might break into that flea brain of yours and kill you quick. But if you're not, we can have some more fun." The claws began to move close to the defenseless evil hare's face as he struggled weakly to get away. The claws were mere centimeters away, promising only agony for the black rabbit.
"DRAGON KICK!" The wide awake Hare screamed as his flaming foot connected with Strife, knocking the vile creature away from his victim and skipping his body three times over the meadow. Hare moved to catch the Captain Evil Hare as he fell back to the ground, his body barely able to hold itself together from the punishment he'd sustained. "You all right?"
"It feels like all my bones are broken. My legs aren't moving."
"Damn, that scumbag may have damaged your spin. Stay still, I'll try to get you out of here."
"Why would you help me?"
"I have my reasons. Plus there is something going on here, and I have a feeling you can shed some light on just what that was that attacked you."
"A pity he won't get the chance," Strife yelled as he performed a rush punch, barely missing the two monsters as Hare moved them out of the way.
"Let me go you fool! There's no way you can get him if you keep hanging onto me!"
"If I let you go what's to stop him from getting you."
"I know you mean well Tim but I can still fight, now let go."
"What did you call me?"
"I... Look out." The evil hare pushed the younger monster out of the way to avoid another rush punch from Strife before blocking the follow up attack that was directed at him. Hare returned to tackle Strife, jerking him away from the wounded baddie.
"I suggest you leave, rebel. I have no orders to kill you, just the captain here. And I would hate for Moo to think this unit was able to take out a rebel before getting itself wiped out."
"Not a chance you freak. MACHINE GUN PUNCH!" Hare's arms were a blur of motion as he threw punch after speedy punch at Strife. For a few minutes, Strife proved able to block the assault, but it didn't last. Punches landed right and left, on his black and copper body and they landed hard. The devil hare fell backward as a final left knocked him back, only to take a sweep at Hare's legs. The lapine easily avoided the attack, slamming a fist down to try to connect with Strife's body. The fist connected, or at least it seemed to. In truth, the fist actually connected with ground as it passed through Strife's body, which had morphed into a shadow form. With the speed of thought the shadow moved behind Hare, resolidifying as the devil hare slammed his fists down on the back of Hare's neck, sending him sprawling to the ground. A swift kick rolled Hare over onto his back so Strife's foot could slam down on the brown rabbit's chest, knocking the wind out of him.
"You should have taken my advice, idiot, maybe then you wouldn't be in this predicament."
"NIGHT LIGHT!" Captain Evil Hare yelled. His eyes began glowing their blinding light, catching Strife full in the face. The devil hare cried out as he tried to protect his sensitive eyes from the ray, momentarily forgetting about Hare.
"Gotcha." Hare was quick to capitalize, hitting the lethal lapine with a vertical cross-wire punch and sending him flying into the cliff wall.
"Yes," cried Captain Evil Hare. "I think we may just survive this."
"Don't bet on it," came a strange voice from nowhere. From the top of the cliff a black bolt of energy raced down, striking Captain Evil Hare full on.
"AAHHHHHHH!!" the baddie screamed as energy raced through him, further aggravating his already broken body.
"No!" Hare yelled. He looked up to see another black furred, blue- eyed rabbit staring down at them, the same copper makings on his body as Strife. This one though, was missing half of one of his ears, and his paw was smoking from firing the energy bolt.
"Strife you fool, I give you one simple assignment and you can't even so that," the new hare said, anger in his voice.
"I'm... I'm sorry boss, there were complications. But I will kill this upstart at once," Strife said, fear evident in his voice.
"No. The targets have been dealt with. Return to the warren... NOW!" The stranger commanded. Without another word, Strife transformed into a shadow and disappeared as the stranger turned to leave.
"Hold it right there," Hare demanded, approaching the strange rabbit. "I'm not gonna let you get away with this. Who are you, WHAT are you?"
"Stay back," the stranger said, firing another energy bolt which struck the ground in front of hare. "My name is Thoren. And as to what I am, you'll find out some day. Yes, you are definitely worth meeting again. Just don't get yourself maimed before then." With that, Thoren also disappeared. Hare raced over to where Captain Evil Hare laid, hoping to find some one to help him. Even a cursory evaluation showed it was no use though. The bolt had done it's job, Captain Evil Hare was dying and dying rapidly.
"Captain, Captain. You've gotta wake up. I gotta ask you something, I gotta know something." The evil hare stirred weakly, trying his best to stay awake and alive. "During the battle, you called me Tim... I have to know, how did you know my name? There's no way you could have known it. Who told it to you?"
"She described you so well... couldn't help but recognize... scarf... fur... fighting style... She still remembers... ... ..." With those words, Captain Evil Hare took on the familiar golden glow as his body transformed itself into a lost disk, leaving hare all alone in his thoughts.
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It took only ten minutes for Hare to make it back to Rimulder. The other searchers and the villagers rushed to meet him.
"Hare you're alive!" Genki called.
"Hare all right chi," Mocchi said, tears in his eyes.
"We were worried man. When those freaky rabbits showed up and said they'd set a trap for that Captain Evil Hare guy, we assumed the worst," Pink Eye explained.
"You should have seen it. These bizarre blue-eyed rabbits came out of the shadows and just started wailing on the evil hares. Killed them all before we could stop them," Gray Wolf said. "What were they?"
"I don't know, but I did see them," Hare said, pulling out Captain Evil Hare's lost disk. "They got him."
"Is it possible someone else is out to oppose Moo?" Genki wondered aloud.
"No," Hare said, "This had nothing to do with Moo. Those blue-eyes killed the evil hares cause they hated them, nothing more. Those... creatures just didn't want the evil hares to get the win over us."
"They wore Moo's crest," Golem observed, "And there was an evil about them, I felt almost afraid in their presence."
"One thing is for sure," Torten said as he approached the group, "something bad is going on, and before your quest is over, I'll bet you'll find yourself up to your necks in it."
"In any event, we've gotta press on. But what do we do with the evil hares."
"Leave them with us. When the Phoenix revives them, we'll look after them, don't worry." With that settled, the searchers once more set off, though less cheerfully than before.
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*Choices. That's all life really amounts to. Good, evil, it's all relative really. And we always have to live with our choices. But every once in a while, an opportunity comes along that lets us have a second chance to make the choices we didn't before. Long ago I chose to live the life of a warrior, using fighting from day to day as a justification for living. Now, thanks to the Phoenix, I find myself with the opportunity to start over again. Last time, my choice of fighting brought my life to a lonely end. Now I have a new trainer, and, for once, I think I'll try my hand at living at peace. I'm sure Rebecca can teach me all I need to know about that.*
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Epilogue: Weed's Journey part 3
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Weed was cold. Not surprising considering the snow that was quickly piling up at his present location. The forest's green leaves were almost covered in the white powder, making one tree look far too similar to the others. Despite that, the plant/naga was still able to find his destination, a huge tree shaped by magic into a castle. At the entrance, two cabalos sat, ready to repel any hostile intruders.
"Halt, where are you going?"
"I'm here to see master Tiger with a message from master Moo," Weed said, hoping he sounded braver than he felt.
"Follow me," one of the cabalos said, and Weed quickly obeyed. Soon he was led into a huge chamber, the throne room of Tiger of the Wind. The wolf was busily eating his dinner, a fat deer, along with his lieutenants.
"Well, what is this that disturbs my meal? A dinner salad perhaps. Or maybe some nice fruit for dessert," Tiger said, his teeth showing in a menacing fashion. Weed found himself paralyzed, unable to respond to the wolf's question. "Well, what's the matter? Can't you talk, or are you some sort of mute?!"
"N... No! I bring a message from Master Moo. He commands that you come to the floating castle within three days time."
"Why?"
"He wishes to discuss the problem of the rebels who search for the Phoenix. I trust you will not disappoint him."
"Speak carefully little weed. Take too many liberties with your message and I'll be forced to bite your snotty head off." At these words Weed was taken back.
"You... You wouldn't dare, Master Moo's command protects me."
"Then why are you shivering, little flower? Is it because you realize that Master Moo is not here to enforce his edict? This is treacherous territory, as Master Moo himself can attest to. I'm sure it would not be too difficult to convince him that some unfortunate accident has befallen you..."
"You wouldn't," Weed said, backing away in case Tiger tried to close off his escape. Suddenly, the blue and white wolf broke into an uproarious laughter, which was closely followed by the wolves that sat near him. "What are you laughing about?!" Weed yelled, suddenly becoming indignant.
"Ah, your entertainment value alone is worth any liberty you might take little one. That you actually believed I would eat you is priceless," Tiger said.
"You mean you weren't serious?"
"Of course not. We tigers are strictly carnivorous. Plant's are the last thing to get us salivating. Return to our master little one, and tell him I will be there before the deadline."
"I'd love to, but I still have one member of the Four to see, Master Daemon." At these worlds the wolves all stopped laughing and a very serious expression came over Tiger of the Wind's face.
"Listen to me carefully little weed, for I only say this because I like you. Be very careful when you see the dark one. His sense of humor is much less friendly than mine. Don't turn your back on him if you value your life, even with the protection Moo's commands afford you. Now, be on your way." A simple swish of his tail motioned for Weed to leave, off to finally complete his long journey.
To Be Continued...
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Well that's the story. Just read and review it. Next episode features Golem and the end of the Journey Begins in the Gift of a Child. With any luck it will take a lot less longer to complete than choices. See ya next time...